Kansas City Troost Switcheroo: Defeating Slaver OR Empty Gesture?!?

Once again Kansas City engages in "name game" politics in order to distract from worsening economic conditions and the overall crisis in confidence confronting current elected leaders.

Apparently, the legacy of history still haunts the urban core and constrains the souls of those who seek to breath free and conduct their biz along a swath of land that's actually doing much better than other parts of Kansas City. 

Grassroots frustration with street names is always surprising for this blog because we've found that most voters can't remember the "crisis" from last week and the vast majority of residents are blissfully unaware of the emotionally charged rhetoric which confronts our elected leaders & opinion makers. 

Translation . . . Most people have problems of their own and the impact of history on the current cultural landscape is primarily fodder for the chattering classes. 

Also . . . Forgive me for being a bummer, my Mexican fatalism is part of my charm and a key component of what separates this blog from an ocean of angry hacks on both sides of the discourse . . . 

Accordingly . . . 

It's important to point out a fact that's often lost in these types of discussions . . .

Dr. Benoist Troost is as dead as Judas Iscariot — He's dust along with everybody he ever loved, hated or owned. 

We'd gladly dig up & murder zombie Dr. Troost if it would help increase the quotient of harmony in Kansas City. 

Fortunately . . . Our KICK-ASS & AWESOME offer pales in comparison to yet another debate over Kansas City street names this summer. 

Again . . . 

For people worried about gas prices, war, the ongoing COVID plague, mokeypox and a President who needs detailed notes in order to walk into a room and sit down . . . I'm not sure that winning a political fight with a dead guy really makes a lot of difference in anyone's life.  

In fairness, here's a contradictory argument and today's top priority social justice talking point . . .

"Troost Avenue, the well known red line of Kansas City. Troost Avenue, the historic wall between the haves and have nots. Troost Avenue, the street that many people still to this day dare not venture to and certainly not beyond. Troost Avenue, a street that is the subject of hundreds of articles, documentaries and constant magnification. These definitions in my mind don’t define what this stretch is today. These definitions don’t mention the miles long prayer chain which stretched down Troost Ave, these definitions don’t mention the hundreds of millions of dollars in development that have taken place and continue to roll out. These definitions do not represent Urban Café, Reconciliation Services, Equal Minded Café or Pink Lipps, they don’t represent the Gates family or Rockhurst University, and it most certainly doesn’t represent the literal bridge that Operation Breakthrough has built over many decades serving those very have nots I mentioned. 

"In my opinion, the very name of this street itself; TROOST avenue, doesn’t represent the current state of this avenue or the trajectory of our beloved city. Dr. Benoist Troost, the first resident physician of KCMO was a man who enslaved 6 people. Dr. Benoist Troost was a man that if given the opportunity would have owned the very ancestors of many of the great local establishments that I’ve mentioned in the prior paragraph. "

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . .

Truth, not Troost: Ruby Jean's founder wants East Side corridor renamed over slavery ties

Despite its widely-known street name, "Troost Avenue" does not accurately represent the small businesses, nonprofits and families along the increasingly dense Kansas City corridor, said Chris Goode. "So many beautiful efforts take place on Troost - from The Combine to Operation Breakthrough or Urban Cafe and Rockhurst University...

Kansas City clings to its racist past. Slaveholder names staying on streets, monuments

OPINION AND COMMENTARY Last year, the Kansas City Parks and Recreation Department was honored for its commitment to addressing inequities within the parks system. How quickly things change. The National Civic League named Kansas City an All-America City award winner last June, in part for the parks department's work to establish a special initiative to spruce up parks in some of the city's roughest neighborhoods.

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Troost Avenue. Troost Avenue, the well known red line of Kansas City. Troost Avenue, the historic wall between the haves and have nots. Troost Avenue, the street that many people still to this day dare not venture to and certainly not beyond. Troost Avenue, a street that is the subject of hundreds of articles, documentaries and constant magnification.

Developing . . .